Beast
by thechosenpen
Summary: When Charlotte Roberts was given the bite at just twelve years old, she was given two options by her family of hunters: Kill herself or be killed. She chose to run. When the McCall pack discover the rogue omega roaming in Beacon Hills, they have no idea just how much trouble she brought along with her. Set in Season 5B.
1. Prologue: Wild

Run. Charlotte was always running these days. She felt like she had been running all her life, or at least for the last six years. It felt like all she would ever do was run. Or hide. It was always one of the two pushing her forward, guiding every choice she made.

Run and hide.

Run and hide.

Run and hide.

Survive.

As an omega werewolf she didn't really have any other option. Omegas were the first to be slaughtered in a hunt and the first to be attacked by a passing pack. That was what you got for not being loyal to a pack. Not that she'd been given a choice in the matter. Being bitten at the age of twelve and then promptly abandoned by her family, the alpha who bit her already long gone, meant that she didn't have a lot of people to help her out.

No friends. No family. No pack. Just Charlotte and her dangerous isolated thoughts.

Left. Right. Left. Right.

Charlotte's feet pounded against the hard dirt of the woods, her human body still agile enough to avoid all of the obstacles in her path. Her long dark hair whipped along behind her, occasionally getting caught on a branch but she was too focused on moving to notice any lost strands being tugged out of her head. Her mind was completely dedicated to running, her eyes calculating every possible path and her ears trained on the sounds around her. Of course her senses weren't as sharp as they could be in wolf form, but she wasn't in any immediate danger yet so she could afford to take her time. She liked to alternate between human and wolf form whenever possible, mostly because it kept suspicion off her when she was in a new town, but sometimes she stayed in wolf form longer because it tended to be safer and allowed her a quicker escape if necessary. It had been a few months since she'd really used her human form properly. Months since she'd actually had any human interaction. The only reason she was running in this form now was to make sure she didn't forget how to transform.

The scent of another wolf somewhere nearby caught Charlotte's attention, although it didn't slow her down. Instead, she finally felt her body itching to shift, and thanks to her many years of practice, she allowed her body to gracefully transform mid-step. Her feet turned into paws, immediately much faster than her human body and she pushed her body to be faster, flying through the woods.

After what felt like a while, all sense of time now lost to her, she came to the edge of the woods and allowed herself to come to a halt. Standing in her wolf form, she looked up at the signage above her, signalling the entrance of the town.

 _'Welcome to Beacon Hills'_

Just reading those words was enough to push Charlotte out of her wolf form and back into her human body. Her long hair hung over her shoulders and she clung her arms to her body as a million thoughts flooded through her mind. She was here. They told her not to come back but she was here. No turning back now.

She'd show them just how much of a beast they'd made her into.

* * *

A/N: Hey folks, so this is my first shot at an OC fic but I'm so excited for Charlotte's journey! I've actually had her in mind for a while so I'm so keen to finally write her. Hopefully you enjoyed this first little prologue teaser! Please leave a review if you feel the desire to and let me know your first thoughts on Charlotte! You can also come talk to me about her or any of my other fics on my tumblr (hailargent). Thanks for reading and don't forget to click follow to make sure you don't miss the next chapter!


	2. Chapter 1: Survivors Of The Wild

There was something oddly calming about the woods in Beacon Hills, although given Charlotte's circumstances all signs should have pointed otherwise. She ran through the woods, her senses alert for any sign of life nearby. The scent of multiple packs lingered among the trees, overpowering her senses as she roamed through, but she seemed to be alone right now.

Charlotte comfortable being alone. As an omega she probably should have felt more on edge, on alert for attack. And she had certainly dealt with that. Being bitten and abandoned at twelve years old, the casualty of a war she was too young to participate in, had definitely been terrifying. But it had been six years and she'd had plenty of time to adjust. Or so she liked to think. She knew she could survive on her own because she'd gotten this far already. There had been close calls, hundreds of them. There had been other hunters seeking her out, following their righteous code and determined to take her down. She always escaped, leaving only few casualties of her own. There had been other packs who targeted her, but despite being an omega, she always found a way to outrun them. There had been alphas that tried to trick her when she was young and naive, bringing her into their pack just to tear her apart. So she had to run. She learned to be alone. She learned to survive.

Charlotte shifted into her human form momentarily, pleasing herself with how easily it came. It wasn't meant to be easy for omegas to shift but she'd spent years training herself. With no guide, she had to rely on instinct and full moons but she'd managed. Straightening up, she tossed her long dark hair over her shoulders, letting her fingers run through it as she did so. Her human body was a bit dirty, but she was used to it by now. She'd find a river soon enough to clean up but that was low on her priorities right now. The first priority was finding a safe place to sleep tonight, somewhere where the other wolf pack scents weren't as strong.

As she moved through the woods, now barefoot, a strong scent caught her attention. It was close to a werewolf but something about the texture of the scent was off. It was another creature, a shapeshifter for sure, but she couldn't pinpoint what it was. Quickly shifting into wolf form, she let her wolf senses take over, but the creature was still slightly unfamiliar. It was definitely not a wolf, and she could sense something human about it. She stood still, her entire being on high alert as she tried to work out how much danger she was in.

Suddenly her eyes caught the source of the scent. It was a girl with short dark blonde hair, but her glowing blue eyes gave her away. Crap. Charlotte had a wave of recognition, her memories flashing back to the last time she'd seen those kind of glowing eyes several years ago. A werecoyote.

The werecoyote spotted Charlotte and began sprinting towards her. Charlotte's instincts kicked in and she began bounding away, her wolf form giving her extra speed. But this werecoyote was fast. She was too fast. She managed to grab onto Charlotte's back legs and Charlotte was pulled back with a yelp. The shock of being tugged back so roughly pulled Charlotte out of her wolf form and she let out a growl as she felt her body shifting into a human again. Her anger and quick reaction time kept the omega's body from changing all the way to fully human though and she was quick to lash her claws out at the werecoyote.

The two continued to fight, tugging and pushing each other through the woods. Charlotte knew she wouldn't be able to run from this girl but she would be damned if she didn't put up a good fight. She had gotten this far and she wasn't about to be put down by a werecoyote of all things. They continued to attack each other, hair whipping around and claws flying. It was clear that neither one wanted to give up, but they were almost too well matched. The other girl fought with a similar reckless style that Charlotte had come to use, her mind too focused on survival and escape routes to worry about proper fighting tactics.

Finally the girl managed to pin Charlotte down to the ground, but rather than go for the kill, she stopped. Charlotte was unprepared for this. She was so unprepared that she was too stunned to even move away. Instead she let the girl roll off her, staying still for a moment to catch her breath again.

"Okay this is stupid. Who are you and where is the rest of your pack?" The girl's voice was very demanding and abrupt.

"Don't have one," Charlotte admitted reluctantly. Her voice was raspier than she remembered. It had been months since she had last used her voice. Although she shifted between her two forms regularly, she hadn't actually had a conversation with anyone for so long that she had almost forgotten what her own voice sounded like.

"You're an omega," the girl said with a sense of realisation. She didn't seem like she was going to attack Charlotte though. Instead she had a look of understanding. Was she an omega too? No, she moved and ran like she had the power of an alpha behind her. She was definitely a beta of some kind. Charlotte watched as the girl went to step towards her and immediately snarled, her entire body ready to defend itself. The girl stopped and paused for a moment and Charlotte watched her warily. The girl looked conflicted, frowning as her eyes took in Charlotte. After a moment of stillness between the two, Charlotte realised this might be her only window of escape. She edged an inch back, preparing herself to run or fight again if necessary, before the girl spoke again.

"Wait! My pack can help you."

Charlotte raised an eyebrow, the concept of help so far beyond her understanding at this point.

"Nobody can help me." She said finally. It was true. In the six years that she had been on the run she had learned that nobody was coming to save her. Nobody was going to sacrifice their comfortable lives to give her a moment of peace. Her family considered her to be as good as dead and her alpha had abandoned her without any parting advice on how to survive the shapeshifting process. She had been alone for long enough to realise this was just the way her life was meant to be.

"You haven't met my alpha." The girl said with a cocky turn of her head. Charlotte could smell confidence and comfort at the mention of this alpha. It was enough to make her curious at the very least. The girl unfolded her arms, dropping them by her sides. "So do you have a name or what?"

"Charlotte."

"I'm Malia." The girl, Malia, offered a with what looked like an attempt at a friendly smile. "So how do I know you're not lying and secretly just a ruse for your pack while they attack my pack?"

Charlotte frowned, displeased at the accusation. "Well I'm not lying. I just admitted I'm an omega. That's a pretty weird thing to lie about."

"True, but I've seen weirder," Malia shrugged. "Okay look, I know somewhere I can take you and then I can bring my alpha to you. He's a good guy. And an even better alpha. He'll help you. But I need to know we can trust you. "

Malia didn't seem to be giving off any signals that she was lying, unless she was really good at disguising that, something that Charlotte was well experienced in. Being the daughter of a hunter tended to put her in danger amongst the rest of the supernatural world and she'd had to learn the ways of bending the truth. Another survival tactic. It was possible that Malia knew the same tricks. The thought crossed her mind and immediately she'd made her choice. There was no way she could put herself at risk and follow someone so blindly.

"How can I trust you though? You could be sending me to your alpha to be killed."

"Ha!" Malia let out a laugh, surprised amusement crossing her face. "Trust me, that's not his style at all. Look, do you want help or not?"

"I'm going to avoid my own possible execution and say no." Charlotte crossed her arms across her body. "I've gotten pretty far on my own. No reason for that to change."

"Well I can't just let you run off." Malia said, an aura of aggression returning that caused Charlotte to tense up once more. "You could be dangerous."

"Well I'm not coming with you. I can't trust you." Charlotte was determined, her fists clenching of their own accord. She uncrossed her arms, holding them to her sides defensively.

"Fine." Malia seemed annoyed but she had a look of resolve in her eyes. Before Charlotte could get a chance to run off, to escape and find a new plan of survival in this town, Malia's glowing blue eyes had returned and she darted towards the troubled omega. Charlotte barely had time to process it, her mind briefly distracted by the escape routes visible behind Malia.

By the time Charlotte noticed the werecoyote's fist flying towards her face it was too late and suddenly she was out cold.

* * *

A/N: Hey thanks for reading this chapter! Don't forget to leave a review and let me know your thoughts and what you're excited to see! Also major thanks to those who have already left reviews because that definitely motivated me to keep going. And don't forget to check out my tumblr (hailargent) for updates and snippets as I go. I've got a lot planned for the next few chapter so stay tuned :)


	3. Chapter 2: Woke Up Like An Animal

Charlotte opened her eyes in a panic, her mind slightly distorted as she tried to work out where she was. It appeared that she was in some kind of basement judging by the dank atmosphere and the darkness surrounding her. There was a blanket wrapped around her body and a jacket one size too big covering her arms. Her brain whirled into power as she pulled herself awake, memories of the last few hours rushing back to her like a flood. Running through the woods. The Beacon Hills sign. The fight with the werecoyote. Malia.

Charlotte let out a groan as she recalled the fist flying towards her face. How could she have been so stupid? She'd spent six years on the run and now all it took was a werecoyote fist to her face and she was caught. Now slightly more conscious, Charlotte shifted up out of her position on the floor and let out a small hiss as she registered the kink in her neck from the uncomfortable resting position she'd been given. Sitting up, she was also suddenly aware of the shackles wrapped around her wrists.

"Are you kidding me?" Charlotte let out a huff. Of course this was happening. She was trapped in a basement somewhere in Beacon Hills. This was just perfect.

She tried to slip out of the shackles, wriggling her wrists frantically, but they were laced with wolfsbane, judging by the sharp pain she felt as she struggled against them. Charlotte thumped her head against the wooden panel behind her in defeat. Just perfect.

"So I figured this was the best place to keep her for now." Charlotte froze as she heard the werecoyote's blunt voice from upstairs.

"How did you get her here though?" A male voice joined Malia's, this one gentle and a little husky. Charlotte wondered if this was the alpha Malia had mentioned. She felt her heartbeat increasing as she realised how close she was to her possible execution. She really hated being an omega sometimes, and it was times like this when she was about to meet a town's alpha that she realised just how vulnerable she was.

"She may not have come willingly." Damn straight she hadn't.

"Wha- Wait. You knocked her out? Malia-" Charlotte frowned to herself as the male voice seemed to chide Malia for her actions. Shouldn't he be feeling glad that they'd captured her? Sure, Charlotte was annoyed that Malia had captured her but she understood why. She knew it was risky being an omega in a town full of what smelled like multiple packs.

"I panicked."

"Why did you bring her here anyway?"

"I don't know. I was in the woods and I spotted her. First I thought it was Theo but it wasn't his scent. So I chased her. I thought she might have been one of the others chimeras."

"Sure, I get that. But why did you bring her here?"

"I don't know. She reminded me of…well me. Like when you found me. She was just alone. I thought you'd want to help her. I thought we could help her somehow."

There was a pause. Charlotte held her breath. Part of her wanted to believe that this pack could help her, that maybe the werecoyote was genuinely trying to help her. But it was hard to trust her when Charlotte was currently chained up with wolfsbane.

"You can tell me whats happening with you, you know."

"No. I said I'd help this girl. This isn't about me." Malia brushed off the comment quickly, sparking a hint of curiosity in Charlotte's mind. Malia wasn't lying, Charlotte could tell that, but even through the walls she could still smell the hint of deception. She was hiding something from her own alpha. Interesting.

"Okay, well I'm here to help with whatever you need. You helped me with Stiles and his dad so I'm here to help you." The voices were much closer now. Charlotte's eyes were trained on the door, waiting for it to move. Sure enough, a moment later she heard the sound of a key twisting in the lock. Her time was up.

Charlotte's eyes darted around the room as the door handle turned. She really had no way out right now. She'd just have to wait until they opened the door and pray that she could find some strength to fight against the wolfsbane.

As the door swung open, Charlotte's instincts kicked in. She viciously tugged against the chains, ignoring the burning sensation around her wrists, as she bared her teeth at the two shapeshifters standing in front of her.

"Oh wow." Charlotte's eyes took in the guy standing next to Malia. He was shorter than the werecoyote, with dark hair and darker eyes. She was vaguely pleased as he took half a step backwards upon seeing her. Then again, what kind of alpha was he if all it took to spook him was a rogue omega with a little too much fire in her veins?

"Okay, so you're Charlotte right?" The guy took a slow step towards her, his hands swinging by his sides gently. If he was trying to look as non-threatening as possible he was definitely succeeding, but surely this was all an act. Charlotte had come across enough alphas to expect all of the different scenarios and none of them included alphas who actually wanted to help an omega so willingly.

"Bingo. Let me guess, you're the big bad alpha here to take me down?" Charlotte cocked her head to the side, eyeing the guy up and down slowly. He didn't look very menacing for an alpha. She had a hard time even imagining his eyes flashing with that threatening red glow. He was probably the youngest alpha she'd seen in a while, and possibly the most attractive but that was irrelevant.

He frowned at her words, dark brown eyes showing confusion at the accusation. "What? No. I'm here to help you. I'm Scott."

The alpha's eyes were far too kind and genuine for Charlotte to handle right now. After such a long time without real human contact beyond hunters on a rampage and the occasional shop keeper giving her suspicious looks, she couldn't quite comprehend the concept of kindness anymore. All she understood was her own bark and her bite. Both of which were equally dangerous.

"Well how brave and noble of you." Charlotte gave Scott another scalding look, her fists clenched underneath the shackles Malia had so kindly provided.

"Forget it. Let's just let her go." Malia said, her brows pulled into an irritated expression as she crossed her arms against her body. Charlotte returned the expression, an easy thing to do with her wrists burning from the wolfsbane pressed up against her skin.

"You were just as bad when we found you. Actually you were probably worse." Scott reminded Malia, a knowing look in his eyes. "Okay Charlotte, Malia says you're an omega. So what happened to your alpha? What made you come here?" Scott crouched down to be closer to Charlotte's eye level, his hands clasped in front of him as he spoke.

This was the moment of truth or lie. Charlotte hesitated, summing up the two shapeshifters in front of her. It was too risky to lie right now, especially given the wolfsbane Malia had somehow managed to put onto the chains. Not only that, but it had been a while since she had run into anyone who bothered to ask about her circumstances and to be honest she wasn't a big fan of the story. If anything it was just depressing, a reminder of what she had lost and what she'd been forced to become.

"It's a long story," she offered finally.

"I've got time." Scott gave a kind smile, an offer that was still jarring to Charlotte.

"No we don't. Didn't you just say that you didn't have much time because you needed to see how Stiles's dad is doing?" Malia butted in, leaning against the doorway with a questioning look towards Scott.

"Malia, I know." Scott dropped his head down with a sigh. "It's fine. I can call my mom and ask her after this." He looked back up at Charlotte, nodding for her to continue.

Charlotte shifted her seating position and immediately winced as this forced her to press against the shackles. With a deep breath, she let her mind flood back into her past, sifting through to work out what was safe to tell.

"Well technically I don't even know my alpha. I was bitten when I was twelve years old and then whoever it was disappeared before they could claim me as part of their pack. They abandoned me and then I had to go on the run to save myself. Never had an alpha. Never had a pack. There aren't exactly many packs jumping to take on an omega. Shocker."

There, that was mostly the truth. It was enough truth to prevent an immediate lie detection anyway. Any more truths and she'd have to start revealing things that she really didn't want to be thinking about. Revealing her family of hunters wasn't something Charlotte considered to be practical in the supernatural world. And Scott and Malia didn't need to know about the war going on between her hunter family and the nearby pack at the time. They didn't need to know that her bite had been collateral damage.

"Well, lucky we're not most packs." Scott flashed half a smile towards Malia, who was too busy studying Charlotte to return it.

"What about your family?" Malia asked suddenly, almost as if she had been reading Charlotte's thoughts. Maybe Charlotte was giving off stronger pheromones, the grief refusing to hide itself for once.

"Well they weren't exactly excited to have a werewolf as a daughter." Charlotte pursed her lips. That didn't even begin to cover it.

"She's lying about something." Malia said abruptly.

Charlotte whipped her head to glare at Malia who only shrugged in return.

Scott looked back and forth between the two girls before focusing his attention fully onto Charlotte.

"Trust me, you're safe here, okay? You'll be safe with my pack. But I need you to be honest with us."

Charlotte sighed, leaning back against the wall again. She took a moment before allowing herself to push the truth out a little further. "My family were hunters, okay? So yeah, they weren't pleased. When the other hunters found out they gave me two options. They told me they'd shoot me or I could do it myself. I was twelve years old and it was be murdered or commit suicide. So I ran away. Happy?"

There was a heavy silence in the room as Charlotte recovered from her minor outburst of truth. Malia suddenly had an odd look in her eyes as she watched Charlotte silently. She opened her mouth to speak, but closed it, looking back to Scott instead. Scott bit his lip as he studied Charlotte.

"So what are you doing in Beacon Hills then?" Scott asked finally.

"I just want to survive." Charlotte looked back at him, her eyes blazing. She begged herself to keep calm, to let this be the end of the questions.

Thankfully he seemed to accept the answer, nodding gently as he straightened up. He reached over to Malia who wordlessly handed him a key, hopefully for the shackles.

"Okay. Well let's untie you and get you cleaned up upstairs. Lydia probably has some clothes that would fit you." Scott smiled as he turned the key, releasing Charlotte finally. She hugged the blanket to herself as she stood up, her body relishing in the freedom from the wolfsbane at last. Malia lead the way upstairs, her boots thudding on each step, while Scott helped Charlotte up, one warm hand hesitantly resting on her back as he guided her. It was oddly calming and Charlotte reluctantly let herself lean into his touch.

As Charlotte moved the staircase, hands clinging to the blanket currently keeping her modest, she allowed herself to breathe, grateful that they seemed to believe her for now. They didn't need to know that she was here for much more than just survival. Something about Scott's gentle nature told Charlotte that he might not be too pleased when she revealed her plan to take down the hunters who had spent so long preying on her.

As soon as she tracked down Gerard Argent she would finish this for good.

* * *

A/N: Hey, thanks so much to the people who have been leaving lovely reviews on here, and to everyone who is liking and reblogging everything about Beast on my tumblr! I'm so grateful for the positive reaction people are having so far. Anyway here is Chapter 2 with a little more drama unfolding. Please leave a review and let me know if you're enjoying Beast so far and tell me any thoughts you have on Charlotte! You can also chat to me on my tumblr (hailargent) about her if you feel like it! I'm so excited to let Charlotte's story unfold for you all! Thanks again for reading :)


	4. Chapter 3: Lost in Bleak Visions

_Charlotte's left arm seared with pain, forcing a choked sob from her throat. The teeth marks were visible underneath the blood, evidence of what had just happened refusing to hide itself. She held her arm close to her body, not caring about ruining her t-shirt even though it was one of her favourites. The blood made a stark contrast against the blue cotton material, but Charlotte was too distraught to pay attention._

 _Why had she been so stupid? Why had she thought tonight of all nights was a good idea to sneak out of the house? It had been a spur of the moment decision, fuelled by her mother's insistence that she stay out of the family meeting tonight. She'd heard the same lecture one too many times and tonight had been the final straw. After her mother had closed the door she had given herself twenty minutes to sulk before remembering that she had mastered the art of climbing down the tree outside her window years ago._

 _A few minutes later she had landed safely on the flowerbed outside, managing to keep hidden from the adults gathering in the family room only a few feet away. Charlotte didn't have a plan as she crawled away from the window and around the corner of the house. She just knew she wanted to get far away from the family that still refused to include her even though she was well aware of the secrets they'd kept hidden from her for so long. The woods had seemed like the ideal place to escape._

 _As Charlotte stumbled her way through the trees, her mind raced with a hundred thoughts. All of the maybes and if-onlys that could have kept her from the fear of standing in front of her father with these teeth bites on her arm and the consequences that would have to follow._

 _Maybe if she'd stayed indoors, maybe if she hadn't chosen the woods as the perfect place to explore in the middle of the night. Maybe if she had believed her mother when she said she had a bad feeling about tonight. Charlotte didn't know how her mother could know what was going to happen, but if she had just trusted her she could have avoided all of this._

 _Maybe if she hadn't been curious about the smoke coming from the house deep in the woods. Maybe if she hadn't been so close to the scene of the crime._

 _The small twelve year old let out another cry of pain as she stumbled forward and felt her feet brush against the steps of her front porch. The knowledge that she had made it home alive overwhelmed the small girl and she felt her knees caving in against her will._

 _"Charlotte? What happ- Oh my god."_

 _Charlotte managed to find the energy to look up. Her father was staring down at her from the doorway. He took a step back shaking his head, a mixture of horror and disbelief._

 _"Dad I'm sorry- I didn't- I don't know where it came from. It came out of nowhere," she said helplessly. Her father looked like he wanted to take her up in his arms but he was clearly torn. Before he could move, another face appeared at the door._

 _"Papa?" Charlotte was struggling to keep herself conscious at this point, the pain almost overwhelming her senses completely, but she could make out her grandpa's stricken face as he crouched down to her eye level._

 _"Oh my sweet pea. I'm so sorry." Charlotte's brow creased. Why was he apologizing? She was the one who had snuck out of the house. She was the one staining the porch with her blood. But there was something in his eyes that scared her. Her grandpa was always so strong and sturdy, the voice of reason in their family, but right now he looked terrified._

 _Before she could question him, Charlotte heard a loud gunshot._

"No!" Charlotte's body was moving before she was fully awake, shooting up into a sitting position. Her heart raced as she quickly examined her body for the bullet wound. It took her a moment to remind herself that it had just been a nightmare. Yet another distorted flashback. Charlotte hadn't had a flashback like that in a while now. Of course her grandpa hadn't pulled the trigger, but that didn't stop the dream from hurting her all over again.

Charlotte leaned against the headboard of the bed as she caught her breath and let her heartbeat return to normal as she got her bearings. She was safe. She was at the lake house, in the bedroom Scott had taken her to, assuring her that the bed would beat sleeping under a bush. He was definitely right. She had just managed to calm herself down when she heard a voice from the doorway.

"You're awake." Malia stood in the centre of the doorway with her arms folded as she looked at Charlotte. She was wearing denim shorts again with a green t-shirt.

"How long have you been standing there?" Charlotte furrowed her brows at the werecoyote as she hugged her knees to her chest, the slightly large t-shirt Scott had provided falling around her body loosely.

"Not long. Well long enough to see you freak out." Malia shrugged. "Bad dream?"

"Yeah I guess." Charlotte hugged her knees tighter to herself.

"I get it. I used to get them all the time. Usually flashbacks." Malia shifted her weight across to her left foot as she studied Charlotte for some kind of reaction.

"Flashbacks to what?"

"To the night I shifted for the first time and killed my family. " Malia said it so bluntly, like it was completely casual information, as if she was giving a comment on the weather.

Charlotte felt her jaw drop slightly as she tried to think of an appropriate response to that kind of revelation. "Wow. Uh, wow."

"Yeah. Technically it was my adopted mother and sister. What was your nightmare about?" Malia tilted her head casually, seemingly unfazed by her own trauma.

Charlotte glanced down at the pale orange bedspread for a moment, briefly reliving the nightmare yet again. "Just the night I got bitten."

"Oh right, that must have been hard. I had the were-gene but I hear that getting the bite is pretty bad."

"Well yeah the pain was the worst, but I just keep remembering my family's reaction. Seeing my grandpa looking down at me." Charlotte felt a shiver run down her body, the awful memory too painful to relive in full. Of course he hadn't pulled a gun on her, that wasn't his reaction but someone else's. Apart from that, the rest of the nightmare seemed pretty accurate to reality.

"So how long ago was it? How long have you been on your own?" Malia was asking a lot of questions today. Charlotte bit her lip, not really appreciating the interrogation she was suddenly thrown into.

As if sensing Charlotte's irritation, Malia shifted her weight again and moved to sit on the edge of the bed, still keeping her distance from Charlotte. "Sorry. Scott said I shouldn't bombard you with questions too quickly."

"So why are you?"

"Because I want to know the answers." There she went again with her blunt responses.

Charlotte let out a sigh, trying to release some of the tension she was clinging onto. "Fine. Well I was bitten when I was twelve, although I don't know how long it's been. I think it's been about six or seven years now?"

"So you'd be…seventeen - no - eighteen now?" Malia frowned, her brain working out the maths. Charlotte could only shrug in response. She'd lost track of time passing long ago while on the run. She'd had more important things to focus on, so she'd let all concerns about age all slip out of her mind. "Well it's two thousand and twelve now." Malia offered up, looking expectantly at Charlotte.

"Okay, yeah that sounds right. I must be eighteen now. Wow, that's weird." Charlotte let that sink in. She'd missed six years of birthdays then. That was a weird concept. Letting that absorb, she looked back to Malia, ready to flip the questioning back to the werecoyote.

"So, what are you hiding from Scott?"

Malia seemed a bit stunned by the sudden accusation, which pleased Charlotte slightly. She was beginning to like Malia but she was done answering questions about her past for now. Malia didn't seem too offended by the question. Instead, she was studying Charlotte, as if she was judging whether Charlotte could be trusted with the truth. Apparently she could.

"My mother, my real mother, is trying to kill me. She's the reason I shifted in the first place, the reason I killed my family. So I'm going to kill her first." Malia set her jaw, a hard look on her face.

"Why can't you tell Scott? Isn't he your alpha? Doesn't that mean he's supposed to help you or something?"

"Scott's a good guy. Too good. He doesn't believe in killing as an option. He might not want me around once he finds out. So if you tell him I am more than happy to kill you too."

Charlotte looked at Malia, taking in her expression and what she had just shared. So she trusted Charlotte, despite barely knowing her. It had been a while since Charlotte had found anyone willing to share things with her, let alone secrets from their own alpha. Part of her felt wary helping a beta go behind their alpha's back since that had backfired on her plenty of times, but at the same time part of her was craving human connection. Not to mention, she fully understood the need to be the first to attack for once. The desire for vengeance was apparent in Malia's eyes, a look that Charlotte understood wholeheartedly. It was the same look that had been sitting on her own face for the last six years.

"I won't tell Scott." Charlotte paused, crossing her legs and clasping her hands in her lap. "And I want to help you."

"Why?" Malia narrowed her eyes.

"Because I get it. The need to get revenge. And because you're the first person in a long time to be nice to me."

Malia's eyes softened slightly and she gave a small nod, a smile slipping up across her mouth. "Well I know what it's like to feel alone."

The two girls smiled at each other, two wild creatures giving each other a chance. This was possibly the first time in many years that Charlotte had actually felt like she might have a friend, or at least someone who had the potential to become a friend. It was odd, but nice.

The moment was halted abruptly by a loud beeping noise. Charlotte let out a yelp, scrambling back against the headboard as her eyes darted around in search of the source.

"Sorry! Sorry, just my phone." Malia threw a hand up to calm Charlotte down as the other hand reached into her pocket and pulled out a small mobile phone, holding it up to her ear.

"What?" She spoke into it, furrowed brow in place. "What did he say?" She paused, and Charlotte could make out another voice speaking on the other end of the line. "Okay! I'll be right there. Don't lose him."

Malia pulled the phone from her ear, letting out a sigh of relief, before leaping up off the bed. "Okay, well if you want to help you have to get dressed now. We've got a lead. Someone who might know something about my mother."

"We? Who is we?"

"Just get dressed! I'll explain later." Malia pulled open one of the drawers and tossed a few items of clothing onto the bed. She gestured to them, eyes wide. "Come on!"

Sensing the adrenaline running through Malia, Charlotte thought it was best not to argue or ask any further questions. Instead she grabbed the clothes, throwing on the black singlet and a pair denim shorts that seemed suspiciously similar to Malia's own pair. Were denim shorts the only thing girls wore in Beacon Hills now? Were all other options of pants now non-existent?

Charlotte let the question linger in her mind briefly before brushing it away as she followed Malia out the door.

* * *

A/N: Whew this was a tricky chapter. More excitement and plot coming in the next chapter I promise, as well as several other pack members! Also huge thank you to all of the lovely people who have been leaving reviews! Reviews really do help motivate me to keep writing and I love hearing your thoughts on each chapter! Please keep reviewing if you feel like it so I can tell if people are actually enjoying the story :) There is a lot of drama definitely on its way! Also feel free to talk to me about Charlotte on my tumblr (hailargent)! _(Also just to clarify, I am taking a few liberties with the Teen Wolf timeline in terms of the year that certain events happened... More reveals to come!)_


	5. Chapter 4: Eyes Go Quite Frightening

"Okay, what is this place?" Charlotte furrowed her brow as she looked around at the large farm Malia had dragged her to. She had restrained from asking any questions on the way, aware of the high levels of tension rising in Malia, but now standing in the middle of no where, she was unable to stop herself.

"My family's farm." Malia answered shortly, her mind clearly preoccupied. She marched up the property and towards the house sitting in the middle of the land, surrounded by grass and trees. It was a nice house, slightly shabby with overgrown grass near the porch, but it looked like it was well loved. Charlotte let her eyes linger over the outside of the house, taking it all in. Aside from the lake house Malia had taken her to, it had been a while since Charlotte had been inside anyone's home. The last time was probably the pack she ran into a few while back, with that damn cunning alpha who had lured her into their home before the pack had turned on her while she was attempting to enjoy a good night's rest. Charlotte had been lucky to escape that night.

But Malia seemed too preoccupied to be dragging Charlotte into a trap. Besides, she'd had her chance to attack Charlotte and instead of killing her, she had brought her to a really nice house with a hot shower. No false sense of kindness this time. No false words of safety as the wolves sharpened their claws behind the omega's back. So things were already looking up. Shaking off the negative memories, Charlotte followed Malia up the porch and inside. Her curiosity was getting the best of her yet again, an instinct she probably should have learned to curb by now.

"Oh." Charlotte stopped in her tracks as she took in the sight in front of her. There was a woman sitting on top of a man, pinning him to the floor. She had an irritated expression sitting on her dark features, which only highlighted the scars across her face and neck. The man looked equally annoyed as he struggled against the woman but she was strong and didn't budge, only shifting to hold him down even more firmly.

"Who is this?" The woman asked Malia sharply, nodding her head towards Charlotte.

"Charlotte. She's helping us." Malia was barely paying attention to the question, her eyes trained on the man being pinned down.

"You haven't mentioned a Charlotte before…" The woman narrowed her eyes at Charlotte, suspicion now covering her features. "Wait, do I know you?"

Charlotte frowned back at the woman. There was something vaguely familiar about her, but she couldn't pinpoint where she had seen her. "Nope," she said, folding her arms across her chest as she tried to work out if she did in fact know the woman. There was no werewolf scent coming from her, so she wasn't from an old pack from Charlotte's many years of running.

"Right. Well I'm Braeden. I'd introduce myself properly but I've got my hands a bit full right now." She flashed a smirk towards Charlotte and the man let out a grunt as Braeden pulled his arms tighter behind him.

"So, what's his story?" Malia scowled down at the man, her arms folded in a slightly menacing manner. "Does he have anything useful?"

"He will once we get it out of him." Braeden yanked the man's arms close to her again, forcing another angry grunt from him.

"You sure? He doesn't seem like the chatty type," Charlotte observed, peering behind Malia's shoulder at the man with a raised eyebrow. Malia let out a short laugh which pleased Charlotte more than she thought it would. It was nice to know her humour was still appreciated despite the long absence of human interaction.

"I tell you nothing!" The man suddenly spat out as he struggled against Braeden, clearly fed up with the three women surrounding him. "I know nothing!"

"Lies! You're lying." Malia stepped closer to Braeden and the man. Charlotte hovered close behind, unsure exactly what role she was meant to play in this power struggle, but she said she wanted to help and she had meant it.

"We know you have information. I suggest you start talking now." Braeden's voice was cool and calm, a sharp contrast to the aggressive hold she had on the man.

"Like, right now," Malia added, glaring down at him.

"I tell you nothing, Bitch," the man repeated, his gaze hard on Malia. The werecoyote took in a slow deep breath, setting her jaw as she did so. She was clearly trying to restrain herself from getting too aggressive. As it turned out, Charlotte did not have the same sense of restraint.

With one swift move, Charlotte had the man out of Braeden's grip and pressed tight against the nearest wall. She was a little surprised at how easy she was able to break Braeden's grip but her quick movement seemed to take Braeden off guard.

"I think you should be a little more polite, " Charlotte snarled at the man as she pressed him tighter against the wall, one arm pinned across his neck, while the other pressed into his shoulder. He let out a choked gasp before scowling back at her.

"I. Know. Nothing." He clearly didn't realise he was in the presence of two supernatural creatures because his lie was as clear as day. Charlotte watched his face as she caught the skip in his heartbeat.

"Look, you keep saying that but we all know you're lying. Start saying something useful." Charlotte pressed her hand a little harder into his shoulder, well aware of her strength and the pain she was probably causing now. She was giving him enough free airway to breathe, but the hitch in his breath suggested that he was feeling the muscles straining already. Good.

"You could tear out my fingernails, cut my limbs with razors-"

"Thanks for the suggestions. All very tempting." Charlotte raised her eyebrow at the man as she pressed her arm a little harder against his thick neck.

"Charlotte…" Malia's voice came with an underlined tone of warning from behind her.

"What? He suggested it." Charlotte kept her eyes on the man, taking in his cold blue eyes and the determination behind them. "You want answers, don't you?"

"Yeah, but-"

"Maybe he needs to remember who he is dealing with." Charlotte gave the man a cold stare as she focused on herself, letting her eyes take on a golden glow as her teeth sharpened .

"You don't scare me," the man hissed at Charlotte, struggling against her wolf grip.

"Maybe I wasn't clear enough..." She learned closer to the man's face, baring her teeth as she let out an angry snarl. She reached out her hand, claws now fully extended as she felt the wolf within taking control of her actions. "But if you want scary, I can give that to you." Raising her hand up high, she swung it across the man's face, feeling the satisfying rush as blood splattered off his cheek. He let out an angry cry, but was quickly stifled as she pressed her arm tighter against his neck. Charlotte pressed harder, no longer caring about whether or not he could breathe.

Unfortunately before she could inflict any more damage on the man, who was still not saying anything useful, she was yanked backwards with a sharp tug. Charlotte bared her teeth, a growl escaping her lips as she came face to face with Malia.

"Cut it out, Charlotte! We don't want to kill him!" Malia's sharp voice did little to curb Charlotte's now seething rage. "Charlotte!" Malia grabbed the omega's shoulders, shaking her slightly.

"Malia, she's out of control. Just get her out of here before I shoot her myself." Braeden was now holding the man against the wall, ignoring the blood dripping from his cheek onto her jacket.

Charlotte could barely see reason at this point, blatantly ignoring Malia and Braeden as she focused at the man. All she could see was the man who deserved to bleed more. He had been rude and unreasonable and set something off within her. It had been so long since she'd really lost control that the rush was a little overwhelming. She let out another snarl, pushing against Malia's firm grip on her shoulders.

"Charlotte!" Malia raised her voice, the sharpness cutting through Charlotte's rage. "No!"

Stumbling backwards, Charlotte felt her claws retracting as she was brought back into herself unexpectedly. "I-I just wanted to help," she stammered, taking in the blood across the man's face, the blood lingering on her own nails. The angry look on Braeden's face. The disappointment in Malia's eyes. "I wanted to help."

"Just go." Malia stepped away from Charlotte, suddenly unable to make eye contact as she stared at the door. Something about that stung Charlotte and she faltered, an odd sense of hurt sweeping through her, as if she had just lost something without ever properly grasping it. She hadn't meant to lose control. She'd only wanted to try and help Malia, but it looked like Malia had a different definition of helping. It looked like she wasn't so useful after all.

Unable to think of anything to say to defend herself, Charlotte turned on her heels and marched out of the door, letting it slam shut behind her. She felt her rage still seething underneath but pushed it down as she began to run down the front lawn and off the property. She wasn't completely aware of where she was running, but the feeling of running with her feet pounding on the hard ground, that was familiar. It soothed her and let her slowly process what had just happened.

Being on omega obviously meant that Charlotte was prone to losing control. She was well aware of that, but it had been a while since she had truly tipped over the edge. Even when she had met Malia the other day, she had been afraid and ready to fight but she hadn't actually lost control to the wolf inside. Charlotte, while never having the help of her own alpha, had relied mostly on self training for the last six years, and it had been a long road but she had fought to maintain her human side. There had been the few packs of course, alphas she crossed paths with who were briefly willing to provide some guidance, but for the most part the only one helping her was herself.

Maybe that was why Malia's disappointed reaction had stung so much. Charlotte was running on different instincts than Malia, but for a moment she had felt like she was actually on the same page as someone. Malia seemed to understand her, and they were both moving towards similar goals of vengeance. It had been nice to actually connect, even if it was someone who had knocked her out and kidnapped her. Something about Malia made Charlotte want to trust her, and to be trusted by her. Instead, Charlotte had ruined everything and been sent away. Again. Two days in and she was already destroying potential ties to a pack. Surely this was a new record for Charlotte.

Charlotte let her feet pound along the ground for a while, not fully paying attention to where she was running. She wasn't quite sure where she wanted to go, so she let her feet decide for her as her mind sifted through various memories. The night of the bite, the numerous hunters she fought off as they tracked her down over and over again, the first alpha she'd trusted, and finally the last few days with Malia and the sting she still felt in her chest as she remembered the disappointment in Malia's eyes. The memories took over Charlotte's senses until she finally allowed herself to be pulled back to the present, bringing her feet to a stop.

"Oh." She was back in the woods. Charlotte took a moment to rest against the nearest tree, sweeping her long dark hair across one shoulder as she allowed her body to cool down. She was slightly out of breath, which was expected since she had been running for quite a while. Time was still a bit of a hard concept to remember, but she was panting enough to know that she needed water. Charlotte focused on catching her breath until she was able to hone in her wolf-hearing, searching for the sound of running water. Luckily it was closer than she expected. Charlotte followed the sound until she arrived at the source, a stream trickling through the trees. She kneeled down and splashed the cool water over her face, giving herself a moment to breathe. The droplets trickled down her cheeks and over her jawline, and she let out a sigh of relief at the feeling. It felt nice to rest, letting the adrenaline slowly escape her body once more.

She was halfway through gulping down a handful of water from her cupped hands when she heard a voice from behind her.

"You know, there are cleaner sources of water than that."

Charlotte whipped her head up, long hair flying and spraying water across her body as she turned to find the body attached the voice. Standing a few metres away leaning casually against a tall tree was a guy with golden brown hair. His arms were folded across his chest, possibly in an attempt to show off his muscles but Charlotte was too confused to notice. Well, she noticed a little, but she forced her eyes up to his with a frown.

"I'm sorry, am I breaking some kind of law?" She stayed in her position by the water, folding her arms to mirror his as she waited for a reply. He seemed amused by his answer, a smirk rising up onto his mouth as he watched her with steady eyes.

"No, not at all. Just trying to save you from getting sick from all the crap in there."

"I don't need anyone to save me," Charlotte retorted quickly, but she edged away slightly from the water. She had gone through enough in the last few days without adding poisoning to the list.

The guy unfolded his arms, holding them up in defence as he pushed himself off the tree and took a step towards her. "Hey, I'm sure you can look after yourself just fine. I'm Theo, by the way."

"Charlotte." She pushed herself out of her kneeling position, slowly standing up. As she stood, she took him in once again, her wolf senses suddenly at war with her human senses. Part of her wanted to pick up that odd scent, the other half wanted to focus more on how unnecessarily tight his t-shirt was. She pushed the latter half of her thoughts away for the time being, focusing on the odd scent she was currently catching. It vaguely reminded her of Malia, but there was something off. "You're a werecoyote?"

"Kind of. Chimera."

"A what-mera?" Charlotte frowned. She'd come into contact with a lot of supernatural creatures while on the run, but that word was unfamiliar.

"A chimera. I was born human and then genetically modified to become a coyote. It's a long story." Theo shrugged, as if it was a common occurrence, as if people were genetically altered to become supernatural creatures every day. "And you're a werewolf. Where's your pack?"

Charlotte pursed her lips as she pondered whether it was safe to reveal to yet another person that she was an omega. But then again, saying otherwise would lead to awkward questions and she was too tired from today's actions to bother lying right now. "Don't have one," she said finally, squaring her jaw as if daring him to question her.

Theo raised his eyebrows as he shifted his stance. He looked almost impressed, somehow. "You're an omega. Interesting."

"Why?"

"Nothing. It's just…You don't seem like a typical omega. I've run into a few and they're usually more of control. Weak. You seem pretty tough."

Charlotte struggled to keep the corners of her lips down, biting on her cheeks gently as she watched him. Where was he going with this? Charlotte was so used to people attacking her on first sight that she was a little stunned at this interaction so far.

"Look, you're an omega without a pack and my pack is full of chimeras. Maybe we could help each other out?" Theo raised an eyebrow again as he watched her.

"Help? How?"

"Well, you could probably use a pack for safety right now. And we could use a full werewolf in our pack. You could give us strength. This town isn't safe and we could use all the help we can get."

Charlotte frowned. "You mean from the hunters in town?"

Theo returned her frown with a matching scoff. "Hunters? No, the hunters in this town aren't a threat anymore. I guess the Argents used to be a threat but Beacon Hills has bigger problems now."

The mention of the Argents brought a familiar taste of bile into Charlotte's throat and she swallowed it down, forcing her face to remain calm in case she gave anything away. Theo seemed to brush off the Argents as insignificant, suggesting he either knew a lot about them and didn't consider them to be dangerous, or he had never truly faced their wrath and was therefore probably useless to Charlotte's cause. But he had her curious now.

"What could be a bigger problem than hunters?"

"There's something coming for all of us. I don't know what it is exactly but it's known as The Beast."

"The Beast of Gevaudan." The words fell from Charlotte's lips before she could help herself and she felt her head rushing slightly, the colour fading from her face betraying her attempt to remain cool. Memories of childhood stories flooded through her brain, the hushed whispers as the tale was told under bedcovers, the sketches her ten year old self had drawn over and over again until her father told her to focus on something more cheery.

"You know it?" Theo appeared to be caught off guard, as if he had expected to shock her with some big mystery in order to reel her into his pack. He clearly hadn't expected her look of familiarity.

Charlotte sucked in a breath, forcing herself to try and regain some composure. "It's one of the most vicious werewolves in history. Of course I've heard of it." She snapped, pulling a snarky expression onto her face. "I've been a werewolf for six years. I've been all over the country and I've come across plenty of wolves. Believe it or not, that legend travels far."

Theo nodded his head slowly, his eyes twinkling slightly. "No, that's good. Then you know how badly we need all the help we can get. So how about it? You come meet my pack and tell us what you know about The Beast, and we'll see how we can help you out. I can even get you clean water," He smirked as he stretched out a hand towards her,

Flashes of Malia's disappointed eyes flew into Charlotte's mind, the sting of rejection ringing back into her chest. Charlotte knew she would need a pack at least temporarily while she lingered in Beacon Hills on her path to revenge. Malia and Scott had seemed kind and they had wanted to help her. Scott's desire to help seemed genuine and something about him made her want to feel safe, but Malia had been quick to turn on her, to shut her out. Perhaps Theo and his pack of outsiders were a better fit. It was also quite convenient to know that they were after The Beast, as terrifying as that seemed. Charlotte knew the story back to front, she could practically tell it in her sleep. It almost seemed like fate that The Beast would be in Beacon Hills. Maybe she could use Theo's hunt for The Beast to take down Gerard at the same time. That would certainly be a sweet justice.

Charlotte hesitated as she looked at Theo's outstretched hand, the sense of a kind gesture mixing with a dangerous challenge. Part of her wanted to grab his hand right away, but another darker part of her told her that she was just being foolish throwing herself into another pack. Another chance to get rejected. Then again, the path to The Beast could very well lead straight to Gerard and that was an extremely appealing path.

Theo cocked his head to the side, pushing his hand out a little closer to her. "Well?"

* * *

A/N: Ahhhh I do like my cliffhangers! Sorry this chapter took a little longer and also turned out a little longer than the previous chapters, but I'm so so excited to keep writing Charlotte's story and I hope you're all enjoying it with me! Please feel free to favourite/follow and leave a comment letting me know your thoughts! Also thank you again to everyone who has been leaving lovely reviews already! Every review pushes me to write a little quicker :) And once again come chat to me on my tumblr (hailargent) about Beast and follow me for little sneak peaks before each chapter is out. Thanks again for reading! :)


	6. Chapter 5: But We're Not Right

"Wait, what did you say to him? You didn't say yes did you?" Up until now Scott had been sitting quietly next to Charlotte as she explained what had happened, but the mention of Theo had caught his attention.

"No. I just…I don't know. It felt nice to know that someone might need me. Like I could help someone." Charlotte said quietly, shrugging her shoulders although Scott probably didn't see that since he was now standing up, hands over his eyes as he let out a heavy sigh. If anything he was reinforcing that she was clearly not helpful to his pack at all. Charlotte wondered if he was regretting the decision to take her back to his house now.

Scott had found Charlotte about an hour ago back at the lake house where she had been sitting on the front doorstep, a heavy weight on her mind. He had come to the house to see how Charlotte was going and he had been surprised to see her sitting outside. He'd been even more surprised when she began telling him everything that had gone wrong in the brief time that he had left her alone with Malia. She hadn't even gotten to the part about meeting Theo before Scott declared that Charlotte should come back to his house for a proper meal after her rough day.

It wasn't until she had finished the leftover lasagna his mother had left in the fridge that Scott let Charlotte continue her story. He had remained quiet, taking in her story without judgement up until the moment she mentioned Theo. Clearly there was some history she didn't know about here. Charlotte had also chosen to keep the information about The Beast to herself for now, especially since Scott already seemed upset enough at the mere mention of Theo. He probably didn't even know what the Beast was and she didn't need to add more tension to this discussion right now. Scott was panicking enough now as it was.

Charlotte had left Theo's proposition mostly unanswered, telling him that she needed to think about it, but it hadn't been a firm no because part of her had been strongly tempted to take his hand. So technically she was lying to Scott, but she was still running on survival mode and she couldn't afford to pass up any chances of an alliance if there was a chance someone could help her get rid of Gerard. Theo had given her a very tempting offer and she intended to think it through before she turned down something she'd regret.

Scott had turned back to Charlotte now, his dark brown eyes giving her a pleading look. "Just…just trust me, you don't need him. Theo is not a good person. He'll just use you. Whatever he offered, trust me he has no plan to follow that through."

Charlotte narrowed her eyes, waiting for more of an explanation than that. "How do you know that?"

Scott hesitated as he sat back down on the bed, wincing slightly as if in pain. "I thought I could trust him. Our whole pack did," he explained, focusing intently at his hands as he spoke. "But then he managed to take us all down. He's the reason my pack is a mess right now. Also he kind of killed me," Scott added, almost as an afterthought.

"Kind of?" Charlotte raised a confused eyebrow.

"Well, I died for a few moments, yeah." Scott shrugged, which immediately led to another wince. "I've got the scar to prove it, actually," he said, slowly lifting up his shirt to reveal a deep grotesque scar running across his torso. The sight of it made Charlotte reel back slightly, eyes widening.

"Wow. Okay. Wow." Charlotte continued to stare at his torso, a small primal part of herself taking note of his defined abs although that was not a priority right now and she had not looked at a guy's chest like that in a while so she needed to focus.

Instead, she pulled her gaze back up to Scott's eyes with a sigh of resolve. "Look, I get it. To you, Theo is a super bad guy. You can't trust him and you have no reason to. You've got your pack and your mom here. But I have no one. I've had no one for a really long time. Being an omega means I've been running for my life. And suddenly I had you and Malia offering me a bed and protection, but then just as suddenly Malia is telling me to leave." Charlotte ran a hand through her long hair, frustration seeping into her voice.

Scott shifted to face her as he tried to defend himself, "I get that but-"

"No, you don't." Charlotte cut Scott off sharply, the frustrations of the last few hours catching up to her. "I was already on edge when you and Malia found me. This is how it happens. A pack takes me in out of pity, and then within a day or two I'm thrown out again. Theo actually needs me. I haven't had that in a long time."

Scott's eyes softened as he watched her. She had expected him to raise his voice back at her, to tell her to get out then, but instead he was shifting to face her properly. "I'm sorry, I didn't realise. But maybe we need you too."

The two of them locked eyes for a moment, Charlotte desperately searching for sincerity in Scott's eyes as Scott looked back at her, pleading. She wanted to believe him, she really did, but siding with Theo meant edging one step closer to the only reason she was back in Beacon Hills. Then again, siding with Scott meant she was one step closer to feeling safe again.

"Okay so hey - um- Who-?"

The moment between Scott and Charlotte was abruptly broken by the interruption as a gangly boy burst into the room, honey brown hair and hazel eyes staring at the two of them with a look that somehow managed to combine surprise and irritation.

"Stiles, hi." Scott was already standing up as Stiles entered, hand swinging slightly awkwardly by his side. There was a new tension in the room now, and Charlotte could practically smell the anxiety waving off the other boy as he stared back at Scott, already forgetting about Charlotte who was still sitting on the bed. She'd immediately shrunk herself down a little upon the new arrival, survival instincts telling her to stay hidden until she'd evaluated the threat fully. Still, he seemed to just be a regular boy, no telling werewolf signs waving off of him. Just a lot of human anxiety.

"What are you doing here?" Scott asked finally, breaking the tense moment before Charlotte could sink any further into the bed or lash out suddenly.

"Me? What is she doing here? Who is this? Why is there a random girl in your bedroom?" Stiles fired several questions at Scott although he was staring intently at Charlotte as he spoke, given her the sense of being interrogated.

Scott shifted closer to Charlotte, almost blocking her from Stiles's line of vision as he jumped in. "This is Charlotte. Malia found her in the forest. She's an omega. She needs our help."

Charlotte watched as Stiles's face shifted into several expressions all at once. The mention of Malia seemed to make him twitch a little, his heartbeat quickening suddenly. He rearranged his face back into a neutral expression though, eyes narrowed slightly as he studied Charlotte.

"What happened to your alpha?" Stiles asked finally, crossing his arms over his chest.

Charlotte scowled as she brought her knees up to her chest, hugging them as she looked up at Stiles. "Never had one. Whoever it was ran off right after they bit me," she said bluntly, already sick of retelling this story. She'd spent half her life as a werewolf constantly explaining herself, with each new pack always acting suspicious like she'd been rejected by her alpha for a reason. Whatever that reason was, it was lost to her.

"She's telling the truth," Scott said quietly, clearly listening to her heartbeat. He looked back at Stiles, straightening his shoulders up a little, an act that instantly made him gain an inch or two in height. "So why are you here?"

"Right, okay," Stiles shook his head firmly, as if shaking out any more suspicions, focusing on the actual reason he had burst into the room. "Well you heard about the guy who got killed out at the communication towers, right? I think I may have figured something out…"

Scott frowned, shifting his weight between his legs uncertainly. "Wait, so you want my help?"

"Yeah, well... You said you can find the clues that I can't. Here, take a look." Stiles pulled out his cell phone and fiddled with it for a moment before thrusting it towards Scott as a video began playing out on the screen. Charlotte moved off the bed, edging a little closer to the boys so she could catch a glimpse of whatever was happening, curiosity overpowering any sense of wariness for a moment.

"This is when the technician first arrived. You see him going in?" Stiles pointed out, Then, Deputy Clark goes in. Then, something really big and really fast comes charging out, and now comes Clark. Eventually, the technician's body is carried out by paramedics."

Charlotte stared at the small device, taking in the footage playing out in front of her, barely paying attention to the boys adding their own commentary. Something big and fast. The Beast. She'd spent her whole childhood heading about it, it was practically a bedtime story, but she'd never imagined actually seeing it in action. The video was blurry but there was no mistaking it, not after Theo's confirmation earlier. The Beast was here and it was vicious.

Scott was frowning at the screen, clearly not aware of the level of danger he was looking at. He seemed to have other questions beyond the giant creature charging forward on the screen. "Okay... What am I missing?"

Stiles tapped the screen, letting the video repeat itself as he jabbed one finger at the footage. "Two people go in. Three people come out. I checked all the footage- not a single person enters that building before the technician the entire day. So, where does that something-really-big-and-really-fast come from?"

"There's another way in," Scott said finally, staring back up at Stiles. The two of them were nodding, clearly on the same wave length right now as Charlotte glanced back and forth between them. So they were clearly tracking the Beast even if they weren't fully aware of what they were looking into. Still, maybe they could lead her to the Beast. If she could get the creature, maybe she could lead it straight to Gerard and be free of his cruelty once and for all.

* * *

"This place is creepy," Charlotte stated matter of factly as she fell into line beside Scott, Stiles hovering on his other side. They had arrived at the telecommunication towers and Charlotte already had a bad feeling about the entire atmosphere.

"Well yeah, a guy died here, Charlotte." Stiles seemed determined to be difficult as possible, although he was probably just annoyed that Charlotte had tagged along, clearly hoping for some bro-bonding with Scott. But Scott had insisted that Charlotte come along, his main argument being that they needed two werewolves to pick up on any clues. Considering he was still recovering from dying, Charlotte could see his point.

The three of them walked through the towers and down into the basement where the crime in the video had taken place. Charlotte could feel her nerves rising, the concept of being so close to the Beast starting to give her cause to run, but she pushed through, following Scott and Stiles deeper into the basement as they began to search for anything useful.

Charlotte wasn't really sure what she was looking for, until something caught her attention. She stood up straight suddenly, her nose wrinkling. The movement caught the boys attention and they both glanced up at her from across the basement, frowning at her in unison.

"Guys, I found the blood," Charlotte said finally as she tilted her head towards where the scent was almost overpowering.

Scott and Stiles hurried towards her and Scott frowned as his gaze followed the trail of blood. "Yeah, and look where the blood leads to," Scott said slowly, pointing towards a metal cabinet that had fallen onto the ground, pools of blood surrounding it. Scott moved closer to it, bending down to lift it up but he was clearly struggling, his injuries still sapping his werewolf strength.

Charlotte watched as Stiles joined him but the cabinet seemed heavier than both of the boys combined. After a moment of amusement, Charlotte finally let out a huff, pushing past Stiles to heave the cabinet up on her own. She swung it up easily, her eyes flashing gold for a moment before she managed to get the cabinet steady, settling it upright.

"Show off," Stiles huffed, half under his breath although her werewolf hearing caught every word. Charlotte threw him a glare while Scott pointedly ignored the two of them, moving to get a better look at what the cabinet had been hiding.

In front of them now in clear view was a metal grate that had been ripped open, revealing a ladder leading towards something further below.

"Well we wanted answers," Scott said after a moment of silence between the trio. He glanced at Stiles, something like amusement sinking into his expression before he moved towards the ladder, barely hesitating before he began to climb.

"I wanted adventure, not a horror movie," Stiles muttered, letting out a huff. Charlotte rolled her eyes, moving past him to follow Scott down to whatever was waiting below.

* * *

"Well this is fun," Charlotte said dryly as she hovered behind the boys through the tunnels. They'd been walking through the underground tunnels for a few minutes now and so far all they'd seen were several rats scuttling past, and plenty of unappealing puddles of sewage water.

"Wow, I'm sorry this hunt for answers isn't exciting for the mysterious omega," Stiles said over his shoulder, sarcasm dripping through his voice. "How do you usually spend your nights?"

"I'm usually running for my life," Charlotte shot back, glaring at Stiles's back. "I just mean, we don't even know what we're looking for, and what happens if we find the bea- that creature?" Charlotte quickly corrected herself, not wanting to give away what she already knew just yet.

"We run," Stiles answered again this time barely bothering to glance back at her as he swung his torch up and down the tunnels. "Sounds like that's your thing anyway so you'll be fine."

Charlotte let out a huff, but Scott was already waving a hand for the two of them to hush, clearly trying his best to focus so Charlotte reluctantly obliged and continued to follow, her eyes scouring for anything that could be important.

"Guys, hold up," Charlotte stopped suddenly, something catching her eye just a few feet away, as Stiles's flashlight brushed over the ground. There was something written on the ground in some kind of weird silver substance, the light from Stiles's torch causing the words to catch Charlotte's attention.

 _DAMNATIO MEMORIAE_

Scott seemed to have noticed it to and he moved closer to her, frowning as he stared down at the series of letters in confusion. "What is that?"

Charlotte frowned as she studied the words, her brain moving into overdrive. She knew she recognised the terms somehow. "It's Latin. I can't translate but it's definitely Latin…" she mused, frustrated at her own inability to translate.

Scott stared up at Charlotte in confusion, "You can read Latin?"

"You can read?" Stiles interrupted, temporarily flashing his torch into her eyes accidentally.

Charlotte squinted, flinging a hand up to her eyes to shield them from the light as she let out a huff of irritation at Stiles. "I was bitten when I was twelve, not two."

"Stiles, hold up that light- I'm gonna get a picture of it. We can translate it later," Scott cut in, flashing a quick smile at Charlotte. He was clearly trying to diffuse the situation and Charlotte couldn't help offering a hint of a smile back.

Charlotte watched as Scott held up his phone to take a photograph of the words on the ground, curious to see the newer technology in action in front of her. She was familiar enough with smartphones, having watched plenty of people using them from a distance but she'd never had any method of buying one for herself. Living on the run meant any money she managed to scrounge up or steal tended to go straight towards food and other necessities. Still, watching Scott lining up his phone to take the photo did provide Charlotte with an odd sense of awe. She'd definitely been out of touch with humanity and society for longer than she'd really meant to.

Before Scott could take a photo though, the flashlight dropped low, causing the light flooding from it to suddenly shift away, leaving them in temporary darkness.

"Stiles, hold the light still-"

Charlotte whipped her head towards Stiles, preparing herself to glare at him for his human idiocy and inability to hold a flashlight steady. Instead of Stiles though, she was confronted with a girl standing in Stiles's place as Stiles collapsed to the floor. It wasn't just a girl though. This girl had fangs and claws already bared out, her eyes flashing a wicked yellow.

Charlotte had heard all about kanimas but she'd never seen one in the flesh until now. She stared in awe as the girl moved past Charlotte, lunging for Scott instead. The two of them began to fight, all claws and snarls, and Charlotte pressed herself against the wall, watching in awe as Scott's eyes flashed red.

Charlotte was so busy focusing on Scott and the Kanima that she almost missed the boy moving towards them, but Stiles caught sight, letting out a shout from the ground where he was still paralysed from the Kanima venom. "Scott, behind you!"

The boy was also sporting claws and fangs but he was definitely not a kanima or a werewolf judging by the electricity sparking out from his hands as he stalked towards Scott, eyes dark and determined. He completely ignored Charlotte as he passed, her one hand already reaching up to attack Scott instead.

Scott was ready though, deflecting the attack and swiftly grabbing the Kanima's wrist, plunging it into the other boy's chest. The boy was instantly affected by the Kanima, letting out a string of sparks from his hands straight back to the Kanima. The two of them fell to the floor with matching thuds as Charlotte tried to process what had just happened.

There was a tense silence for a moment and Charlotte was about to speak when she picked up another scent, something new, although she couldn't fully place it. She didn't need to though because a second later Scott was letting out a frustrated growl as he moved towards the wall opposite Charlotte. His growl revealed a younger boy, apparently some kind of Chameleon who shifted back and forth from blending with the wall and back into his human form, eyes wild with terror as he pressed himself against the wall as if he could just merge into it completely. Scott let out another growl but before anyone could make a move, another voice broke out.

"Okay!"

Charlotte whipped her head towards the new voice, eyes narrowing slightly as she watched Theo moving towards them. Of course, the Kanima and the other boys must have been part of Theo's chimera pack. It all made sense now.

Theo wasn't paying any attention to Charlotte though, his focus still on his fallen pack with a look of annoyance. "Maybe they're not ready to take on an Alpha…Especially one that can smell fear, thank you Corey." Theo glanced at the younger boy with an unimpressed expression, irritation hidden in his eyes.

"He's got fangs!" the younger boy protested, gesturing towards Scott with wild eyes. The Kanima girl had recovered now and she stood up, quickly dragging the other boy towards Theo, falling behind him and staring at Charlotte and Scott with a withering expression.

Scott was staring at Theo with a look of disdain. He seemed to recognise the chimera pack and wasn't pleased to see them. "What did you do?" he asked Theo, stepping closer to create a divide between Charlotte, Stiles and Theo's pack.

Theo shrugged. "I found some new friends. I don't take rejection well," he said simply, eyes flickering briefly to Charlotte before dropping his gaze down to where Stiles was still lying on the ground.

"Hey, Theo," Stiles said, sarcasm dripping in his tone.

"Stiles." Theo seemed thoroughly unimpressed by Stiles, quickly glancing back away before he could give Stiles reason to speak again.

Theo turned his attention back to Scott. "You're going to leave here thinking that you need to worry about me... But you're wrong. Because that thing?" Theo flung a hand around the tunnels, gesturing to the damage around them, "That's what we need to worry about. Your pack, and mine. We're gonna go back to school and pretend like we're normal teenagers, but at night, we're going to be fighting for our lives."

Scott frowned, taking a reluctant step closer to Theo, curiosity clearly burning underneath. "What is it?"

"It's not a Chimera," Theo said calmly, his gaze steady under Scott's scrutinising expression. He didn't look at Charlotte but she could feel his attention shifting to her briefly anyway. He didn't mention the true nature of the creature though, and Charlotte bit her lip. There was a lot of tension and secrets shifting through the room right now, and she couldn't help wondering what she'd gotten herself into by mixing with these packs.

"But it's just a kid underneath- someone like us," Scott protested. He clearly had no idea of how dangerous the The Beast of Gevaudan really was.

Theo shook his head, almost amused. "Not anymore. Scott, you're going to need all the help you can get." Theo paused for a moment, straightening up as he folded his arms, raising a smug eyebrow. "That includes me. And hey, maybe you need to give Argent another call too."

Charlotte spun to stare at Scott, eyes widening. Argent. He was working with an Argent? Which Argent was he referring to? Charlotte struggled to keep her heartbeat steady, well aware that Scott could possibly pick up on the change and start questioning her. She inhaled slowly, clenching her fists tightly as she tried her best to focus on the situation instead of the burning sense of betrayal and confusion already bubbling inside.

Scott didn't notice though, his focus remaining on Theo with a darkening expression. "Stay away from him, Theo."

Here Scott was, trying to protect an Argent. It didn't make any sense though. Scott was an alpha. He was an alpha werewolf, which meant he had absolutely no reason to defend a hunter, especially not an Argent. None of it made any sense, but it didn't matter. He was protecting the Argents. Which meant he was automatically an obstacle in her plan.

Theo held both hands up in defence as he took a step backwards. "Alright, I can take a hint. Oh and Charlotte, my offer still stands." Theo said, a satisfied smirk already halfway to his lips as he glanced over at her, nodding slightly before he turned and marched off, the rest of his chimera pack following behind.

Charlotte was left staring after them, wondering if she'd really chosen the right side after all.

* * *

 **A/N: Surprise I'm back with another Beast update! My muse for Charlotte resurfaced unexpectedly and boom here we have another chapter! Hopefully you enjoyed this chapter as Charlotte continues to have a crisis on which side she really wants to choose! Feel free to leave a little review and let me know all of your thoughts and let me know which side Charlotte should pick! Thanks for reading and thank you to everyone who has continued to leave reviews! You've really motivated me to keep going with Charlotte's story :) xo**


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